City confident as second crest arrives

Dikes are holding steady in Brandon as the Assiniboine River rises to its second crest, but city officials remain on high alert.

As of 6 p.m. Friday, the water level had edged slightly higher than the 2011 flood peak.

It was measured at 1,182.94 feet above sea level at First Street. The historic 2011 flood recorded a peak of 1,182.89 feet.

"It seems like it’s kind of levelling off right now but we really won’t know until the next 12- to 24-hour period whether we’re at the crest or not," said Brian Kayes, the city’s director of risk and emergency management.

The province’s forecast for the Assiniboine River, as of yesterday afternoon, is that it would peak Friday to Sunday at 1,182.8 to 1,183 feet above sea level.

Brandon's dikes and flood protection are built to handle two feet higher than 2011 levels.

"We’re feeling confident right now that we’ve got enough dike left for the river to come up and even manage a bit of a rain event as well," Kayes said.

Crews are continually monitoring the dikes, looking for any problem areas.

"If they find something, then they have a phone number that they call to bring some help and sort out what to do," he said. "We haven’t had any real issues develop."

The water is expected to stay at a high level for at least a few weeks. Kayes said it’s difficult to predict just how long it will stay.

"This is really the first experience that we’ve had with summertime flooding to this extent," he said. "One thing I have noticed is that the crests seem to be getting here a lot faster than they do in the spring time."

According to the city’s evening flood update, the weather forecast indicates potential summer storm activity this afternoon and evening.

"Our storm sewers currently have a capacity to handle the forecast flows, but residents can greatly aid in helping the system handle water accumulations by clearing all debris away from catch basins in their neighbourhood and disposing of debris in the garbage," the release says.

The city’s Flood Enquiry phone line at 204-729-2186 will be in operation from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

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Dikes are holding steady in Brandon as the Assiniboine River rises to its second crest, but city officials remain on high alert.

As of 6 p.m. Friday, the water level had edged slightly higher than the 2011 flood peak.